White House honors Olympians

On what he described as a "special day for the White House," President George Bush Tuesday welcomed more than 500 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes on the South Lawn.

To an audience of roughly 200 friends and family members, Bush described his August trip to Beijing as "one of the greatest experiences" of his life.

"But more impressive was the decency and character that these Olympics brought on the world stage," Bush said from a podium nestled among the athletes. "Whether you won a medal or not, it really doesn't matter in the long run. What really matters is the honor you brought to your sports and to your families and to your country."

On an unusually brisk morning, the grinning athletes -- including medal winners Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson -- stood on the balcony and steps of the White House in a dynamic cascade of blue and red Team USA jackets.

The 597 members of the 2008 summer Olympic team gave one of the best performances in Olympic history, not only earning the top medal count with 110 medals, but also setting a new U.S. record for medal production. During the games -- watched by almost 5 billion viewers -- 43 world records were broken, 13 of which were by members of Team USA.

Phelps, of course, led the record-breaking charge, earning the most gold medals at a single Olympic Games as well as the most gold medals cumulatively, eight and 14, respectively.

"People say, 'Did you |ever get to meet Michael Phelps?'" Bush said to a swirl of laughter. "I said I did. 'So was that the highlight?' I said, not really; meeting his mother was more of a highlight."

The 2008 Paralympic team also had a banner year in Beijing -- finishing third overall with a medal count of 99 -- and the swimming team led the medal standings for the first time, with 17 gold medals.

After Bush's remarks, Paralympian Jennifer Armbruster presented the president and Laura Bush with team jackets, naming them both honorary members of the 2008 Olympic team.

As the military band resumed playing, the president and his wife spent 10 minutes shaking hands and posing for photos with the athletes before walking past a dog bowl and toy volleyball, heading back toward the west wing.

After the 15-minute ceremony, Phelps appeared for an informal press conference in the White House driveway amid a flurry of camera flashes, looking like a veteran celebrity in dark sunglasses and a brand new goatee. He described his experience at the White House as "an honor," and revealed a private exchange he had with the president moments earlier.

"Well, my mom texted me this morning, 'Tell the president I said hi,' so I did that," Phelps said. "He said, 'Your mom's an amazing lady, just like mine.'"

Phelps, famous for his 12,000 calories per day diet during training, also added that since he's only gotten into the pool three times in the past five weeks, he is back to eating two to three meals a day, like most Americans.

During his address, Bush said that the Department of Health and Human Services released new physical fitness guidelines Tuesday and held up the athletes

as shining examples of

the human body's capabil-ity.

"We urge our fellow citizens to look at these guidelines and to take time out of your day to exercise," the president said. "Not every one of you has to ride a mountain bike, but if you walk just 20 minutes a day, you'll help America and help yourself."

The new guidelines were designed to show the American public how easy it is to incorporate physical activity into daily life and to include activities they enjoy. According to the guidelines, two and a half hours each week of moderate aerobic exercise provide substantial health benefits for most adults, and children thrive with an hour of exercise each day.